Tamil Nadu nears to hit one week since the schools were reopened for the students in Classes 9 to 12 after several months of remaining shut down in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, within a week, the school reopening has been emerging as a cause of concern as several students and teachers are testing positive for the Covid-19 viral infection and the developments had distressed the stakeholders to fully acknowledge the resumption despite the vaccinations and safety guidelines.

Till last Saturday, three teachers and three students in Cuddalore, Ariyalur, and Namakkal districts had tested positive for the pandemic. In what has become yet another grim development, three more students had confirmed to have contracted the disease on Sunday. These three students of Class 9 attached to the Government High School at Sulthanpet in Coimbatore district were put into isolation and the authorities have been taking measures to test the fellow students and sanitize the premises.

As a precautionary measure, the officials from the School Education Department had instructed the school headmaster to shut down the school for three days after three students had tested positive. The schools were reopened in the state on September 1 and a student had tested positive for the pandemic within two days of the resumption, levying a fresh ordeal for the state government as the reopening has been becoming a cause of concern. 

Last Friday, two teachers of the same school had confirmed to have contracted the disease. According to reports, these two teachers were handling higher secondary classes at Jawahar Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Neyveli, Cuddalore and they had given the swab samples on September 1, when the schools had reopened. Their test results had come positive on Friday after which the school management has asked the students and other staff members who had come in direct contact with both of the teachers to isolate themselves. 

Earlier on Thursday, a teacher attached to a government girls' higher secondary school in Cuddalore had tested positive for the pandemic, even after receiving two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Health officials said that the teacher, who attended the school on September 1, had complained of nausea and vomiting on Thursday. She was then confirmed to have contracted the pandemic and she was isolated immediately. On the front of pupils, three students had tested positive till Saturday.

Of these three students, two were from girl students in Ariyalur. One of the students is studying in Class 12 at Annai Lourd Higher Secondary School in Varadarajanpettai. She was staying at the hostel and as she developed symptoms, she had given her swab samples at the government hospital in Jayankondam and she had attended the classes on Thursday. However, the sample result has confirmed that she has contracted the disease and she was admitted to the government hospital for further treatment. In the other case, a girl student of Class 9 studying at Nirmala girls higher secondary school had reported higher body temperature on Wednesday at the school and she had gone through the testing and stayed off from the classes on Thursday.

Shockingly, she has tested positive and was later moved for treatment. While two students belong to Ariyalur, another student had tested positive in the Namakkal district. A Class 10 student studying at a government high school near Thiruchengode in the Namakkal district has tested positive for the Covid-19 viral infection and she has been undergoing treatment. With the current development, the reports say that six students and three teachers have so far been tested positive for the pandemic.